Reviving A Tradition
You may have seen someone painting one of the fire hydrants in Stanley during the second week of June and wondered what they were up to. Longtime residents of the community will remember when Stanley had the Parade of Patriots fire hydrants.
In 1976 Stanley became the first town in North Dakota to enroll in the national program - “Paint a Plug for America!” Laila Schulte, as leader of a local Girl Scout troop, convinced the city council to invest $150.00 to reproduce the copyright designs.
After one summer Stanley produced 50 painted hydrants and “Stanley - Parade of the Patriots” was the slogan chosen. Restoration of the patriots and creation of new personalities became an American Legion Auxiliary project in 1985. Over the years some of the hydrants had to be replaced and the discarded ones were moved to stand guard at Flickertail Village. In 2002, Stanley boasted 65 painted hydrants.
When Miriah Meiers was home to visit earlier this month, she decided those poor Parade of Patriot fire hydrants needed a little TLC.
She decided to start with Theodore Roosevelt as he is by the newly refurbished Memorial Building.
Miriah, along with fellow classmate Rita Brown Locken, were part of the group the last time the hydrants were fixed up.
She hopes her decision to repaint this one hydrant will encourage others to renew other hydrants. She also plans to do other hydrants when she visits Stanley from southwest Colorado where she presently lives.